See-through ends...any hope?

[Eireann]

I am very very close to my goal, but the last 3 inches or so of my hair is very thin and scraggly. Is there anything I can do besides trimming?

[ktani]

I am very very close to my goal, but the last 3 inches or so of my hair is very thin and scraggly. Is there anything I can do besides trimming?

I would trim back slowly unless you are really tired of your ends. The most important thing is to determine the cause. Is it just that you have not trimmed in a long while? Or do you have a breakage taper?

I had a breakage taper for years. I kept getting trims to deal with it but it would reappear.

For me, not using conditioner and swtiching to catnip stopped the taper completely, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=118. I can still get a growth taper if I neglect trims though. It is not the same thing.

Just find products that reduce breakage and they can contain cones, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2010/09/debunking-silicone-myth-in-hair-care.html.

[Heidi_234]

Nothing can magically make your ends thicker. You can still grow long and do regular trims - sometimes it's even essential to trim damaged ends because they break off faster than your hair grows. The key is to trim less than you grow, keep track of how much exactly you trimmed and when. My hair was almost waist when I joined, and due to thin ends I trimmed more than half of my growth. I'm TBL now ;)

[Carolyn]

If you want a thicker hemline the only thing you can do is trim. However you can do things to prevent future breakage. Your thickness should move down as your hair grows. I'm in the process of doing this. For me it's been more frequent but smaller trims, CO washes, and oiling at night. I'm not sure how far I'm going to get with this but I'm hoping for tailbone or close to it.

[ktani]

True, by stopping the breakage taper I did not mean that my thin ends suddenly became thicker. I had to trim the thin ends off.

However, the breakage did not continue with catnip use to the degree that it had prior to using it and my hair has since and now grows with an even thickness from roots to ends (barring going too long between trims).

[1nuitblanche]

Just another echo here, that they won't magically get thicker overnight. But, you can maintain where you are or wear your hair up in a protective style and baby it with moisture and/or protein according to its needs to that when you get to your goal, it will be as healthy as it can be. Either way, in order to get a thicker hemline, you'll have to take good care of it, continue with S&D missions, and either trim it where you want to maintain it or else get to terminal and love your fairytale ends.

[1nuitblanche]

You could also check out Angeletti (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56332)'s way of curling just the ends of her hair to make the thin ends look a little more full.

(I hope that the linking worked... I'm not super good at some techie stuff yet...)

[PrincessBob]

This popped up at the same time I was opening your thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56332 doesn't thicken them, but hides their thinness a little.

[Eireann]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will need to trim soon, but I'll do it little by little. I'm also going to try CO for a while. Meanwhile, Angeletti's idea of curling the ends is a great one!

[Khepri]

As much as I hate it, trimming is the only way.

I love Angeletti's way of disguising her thin ends!

[Jezerellica]

Have you tried an ACV rinse? I thought I was going to have to take off more than I did, until LHC advice urged me to try this first. It DID make a difference. It is worth a try right? The consistency of my ends just changed! Good luck!! = )

[Little_Bird]

Trimming is the only way for me too.
I have thin ends from below waist down, I'm past tailbone now. Goal is classic. I am planning on growing and trimming at the same time, going from 5 to 5 cm and checking the situation on each milestone.

But if you're very close to your goal (like 2 inches away) I would not trim at all, get to my goal and start regular trims from there on.

Good luck :)

[christine1989]

Angeletti's style for disguising thin ends is great but the only way to truly thicken them is to trim while you grow even if it is a few millimeters at a time.

[jera]

Angeletti's style for disguising thin ends is great but the only way to truly thicken them is to trim while you grow even if it is a few millimeters at a time.

Another advocate of Angeletti's method here. ;)

[SilvraShadows]

I hope you are able to find a way to thicken up your ends, for some it is possible to do this. For me it's not, I have a canopy that is terminal and underneath it seems to be terminal as well. My hair is not breaking off, but I have had grand bouts of shedding. Although I am making a bit of progress, I think.

If your hair is breaking off, find a way to stop the breakage and begin with a nice trim. Then little dustings to help as it continues to grow longer. Eventually it will thicken up for you. You'll reach your goal one way or another.

I will share this to give you a hint of my ordeal. I kept my hair hovering about 22 inches for the longest time. Each time it grew out it would wisp out terribly. So I would trim it back four inches or so with hopes that the hemline would stay thick as it grew out again. Always, nothing but wisps. Finally I let it go, wisps and all. Then I started small trims. I reached 27 inches the first part of June (my siggie picture) and that was taken right after the trim. From that time to now I've had a couple of dustings, and recently another good trim on the harvest moon (this last equinox)... back to 28 inches.

I think I see a little improvement, so I am hopeful!
The lighting in the room makes my hair appear yellow, but it is as silver as can be.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v410/SilvraShadows/autumn006.jpg

I plan to let it grow without another cut for awhile, then trim it back to 30 inches... ? I just wanna make 30 inches! For starters.

All said and done I have accepted the fact I may always have "faerie mist" tresses. Whimsical wisps and nothing more.

[FrannyG]

I damaged my hair quite badly over 2 years ago, and I've been gradually cutting out the damage ever since, while still managing to grow it.

It's a long and arduous process to slowly trim out see-through ends, but it's worth it in the long run.

As long as you're giving your hair the care it needs, there's no reason why the thickness won't eventually catch up with the ends.

In the meantime, I am another who loves Angeletti's idea for disguising thin ends.

[spidermom]

I've always trimmed to maintain thick ends. It allows some of the slower growing hairs to catch up with the faster growing ones.

I haven't been trimming this year, though. I've been growing/trimming for 10 years and wanted to GET THERE this year. But I'll resume trimming as soon as I do.

[McFearless]

I think all you can do is keep your hair strong and do tiny trims often. Good luck!

[Flaxen]

It's been my experience that trimming is only one part of the solution. Trimming controls those racers that grow ahead of everybody else, but it's the shedding you have to reduce so the rest of the hairs will get down there to the hemline.

How to reduce shedding? Well, not using sulfates helps me, but I'm still a heavy shedder. MSM can lengthen the growth phase of individual hairs, so that can help, too. I've never tried it, though. And of course, keeping your hair up most of the time can do a lot to improve one's hemline. :smile: